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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. I haven't touched a tennis ________________ in years.
  2. What do you think of the new ________________?
  3. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  4. He keeps ________________ of his days.
  5. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  6. The muddy ________________ descends to a valley.
  7. The nurse administered an injection to the ________________.
  8. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  9. Hard work is the ________________ to success.
  10. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  11. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  12. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  13. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. She took a metal box from the top of the kitchen ________________.
  16. This is my favorite ________________ on the album.
  17. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  18. The farmer was ________________ with the unruly horse.
  19. He hit the ball with his ________________.
  20. Our cat is sitting in the apple tree, and the birds are making a ________________.
  21. In all probability, the ________________ will fall.
  22. The ________________ was transferred to the cardiology ward.
  23. This piece is in a major ________________.
  24. Are you the only one who has a ________________ to this door?

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. racket — for tennis
  2. cabinet — ministers
  3. mine — an explosive
  4. track — to keep track
  5. bass — the instrument
  6. track — a path
  7. patient — a sick person
  8. shower — rain
  9. key — the most important part
  10. bass — low music
  11. shower — a meteor shower
  12. mine — for digging
  13. shower — to wash
  14. bass — the fish
  15. cabinet — a cupboard
  16. track — a song
  17. mine — belonging to me
  18. patient — calm and waiting
  19. racket — for tennis
  20. racket — a loud noise
  21. cabinet — ministers
  22. patient — a sick person
  23. key — in music
  24. key — for a lock

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com